Thursday - December 14, 2017

Posted onMarch 20, 2017

John Maher, Vice President of Product Strategy at Synchrono, Inc. and 2017 Supply & Demand Chain Executive Pros to Know winner, recently authored an article published in Efficient Manufacturing magazine titled, “Synchronizing Production Processes: Creating Demand Driven Factory of the Future.” In these manufacturing environments, production planning, scheduling, and execution processes are fully synchronized to the customer’s desired delivery date. The synchronized factory is able to quickly adapt to changes in demand and visualize real-time status and order information. Key performance indicators including on-time delivery, inventory turns, increased capacity, and more are positively impacted.

Maher explained how demand-driven manufacturing is a modern manufacturing method where production that is based on actual customer demand (orders). Technology facilitates real-time synchronization of everything (people, method, materials, machines, and data) in order to drive production flow throughout manufacturing operations and the extended supply chain. Data captured is easily accessed and visualized to become real-time decision-driving information.

The power of information is unquestionable. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is already bringing exponential value to manufacturers; McKinsey Global Institute Report noted, “The Internet of Things has the potential to unleash as much as $6.2 trillion in new global economic value annually by 2025.” McKinsey also projected that, “Eighty to 100 percent of all manufacturers will be using IIoT applications by 2025, leading to a $2.3 trillion economic impact for the global manufacturing industry alone.”

Efficient Manufacturing (EM) is a leading monthly industrial trade magazine on efficient manufacturing and related areas. The magazine is aimed at not only the top-decision-makers, but also engineers and technocrats from the manufacturing fraternity.

When integrated under the Synchrono Demand-Driven Manufacturing Platform, lean and demand-driven initiatives achieve new levels of excellence, transforming businesses by synchronizing people, processes, machines, materials, and data to drive production flow from order inception to delivery.

The award winning Synchrono Demand-Driven Manufacturing Platform offers five system components, including a planning, scheduling, and production management system and ekanban software for real-time inventory replenishment and supply chain collaboration. The Synchrono Platform has a unique a data collection, historian, and automated workflow engine along with an application that generates automatic alerts, escalation and action plans to minimize disruptions. Perhaps most importantly, this technology platform also includes a real-time visual factory information system. Everyone at every level of a manufacturing organization has access to one version of the truth with a dynamic view of what is happening at every stage of the manufacturing process; from order inception through production and delivery.

Synchrono systems allow for the simultaneous exchange of data across systems and resources, the ability to respond to constraints and changes in demand as they occur, and to predict, pre-empt, and prioritize issues. The Platform components may be implemented independently or collectively to enable the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), providing an unprecedented foundation for communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Synchrono delivers a competitive edge. Follow the Demand-Driven Matters blog at www.synchrono.com/blog and follow Synchrono on Twitter at @Synchrono_News.